A man posing as a bank manager has been arrested by the Vadodara crime branch for allegedly duping multiple people out of gold worth Rs3 crore. Ravi Peshawariya, who had been absconding for some time, was apprehended near the Jambua flyover after a tip-off. He was intercepted while traveling in a car, and upon further questioning, authorities discovered that he did not have the required documents for the vehicle. This led to the discovery of his true identity as Ravi Peshawariya, who had been using the alias Vishal Gajjar.
Investigators revealed that Peshawariya had come to Vadodara a few years ago and had convinced several people that he could secure bank loans for them in exchange for their gold. Over the course of a year, many individuals handed over their gold to him, totaling around Rs3 crore. However, instead of helping them secure loans, Peshawariya allegedly took out loans against the gold, kept a portion of it for himself, and vanished.
Two cheating cases were filed against him at the Manjalpur police station in 2022 and 2023. The police were able to trace Peshawariya’s movements after he was intercepted in Vadodara.
Further investigation revealed that Peshawariya hails from Rajkot and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree. His criminal activities began in Rajkot, where he was involved in selling used cars as new in 2012-13, leading to several fraud cases being registered against him by both Rajkot police and Gandhidham police. Unable to secure a bank loan due to these fraud cases, Peshawariya fled Rajkot and first moved to Khambat and later to Vadodara, where he continued his fraudulent activities.
The arrest of Ravi Peshawariya marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the gold scam. Police are continuing their efforts to track down any additional victims and recover the stolen gold.
